We know Swindon’s roads aren’t perfect. We have started a two week campaign to help you understand how we repair potholes on our 510 mile road network. Please follow us on Facebook or Twitter to see what we have been up to.

You can also get involved too. Our team regularly inspect and fix potholes in Swindon's roads, pavements and cycle paths but they also need your help to report potholes when you see them. 

There are three types of pothole repair

When a pothole is reported to us, we use three methods to fix it. Our first priority is always to make sure the road is safe. 

Temporary repair – This makes the road safe straight away but only lasts a few weeks. It can be used multiple times until a permanent fix is arranged.

Patch repair- This kind of repair fixes a pothole properly and lasts for years but can cost thousands of pounds to complete. It will often require road closures and licenses which can take a few months to arrange. 

Full reconstruction- This kind of repair, like that which was carried out on Upham Road, will last for decades but can cost hundreds of thousands of pounds and often requires months’ worth of road closures and disruption to traffic.

Do you actually know what a pothole is?

In 2018 we fixed over 7,000 potholes and only 900 were reported to us by residents. Many reports from residents weren’t actually potholes. Do you think you know what a pothole actually is? 

We work within our means

Our overall funding from the Government for highways repairs has been reduced by approximately 15 per cent over the last four years taking inflation into account.

We have an annual budget of £600k to fix all of Swindon’s roads, pavements and cycle paths. We also have to use this money to paint lines on roads, cut back trees and fix streetlights. 

I have reported a pothole - what happens next?

Once you have reported a pothole to us, you will receive an automated email response. This confirms that your report is now with our Highways team who aim to inspect your report within four working days. If the pothole is 40mm or deeper we will aim to repair it within 24 hours of inspection.

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Swindon Borough Council, Civic Offices, Euclid Street, Swindon, SN1 2JH